The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) has raised concerns about mental health challenges among healthcare professionals, including burnout, substance abuse and conditions that may affect practitioners' ability to safely provide care.

Registrar of the Council, Dr Divine Banyubala, disclosed during a briefing to Parliament's Health Committee that the MDC has handled cases involving practitioners whose mental wellbeing raised questions about their fitness to practise.

He said some healthcare workers had been referred to the council for assessment, leading to the establishment of health assessment panels to evaluate their condition and determine the appropriate support or intervention.

"We have practitioners who have mental illness, different kinds. Some of them are on substances, and when the referral is made, we set up the health assessment panel," Dr Banyubala stated.

He explained that while some assessments have not identified significant concerns, the council continues to monitor such practitioners through a process known as "watchful waiting."

The registrar described the issue as a "major concern" and said the council convened a stakeholder meeting in February to discuss mental health and professional fitness among healthcare workers.

He said stakeholders agreed that the MDC should lead a baseline study to assess mental health challenges among health professionals in Ghana and examine how these issues affect the resilience of the healthcare system.

"The consensus is that we needed to lead the process of conducting a baseline study on mental health and sickness to practise among our healthcare workers in Ghana," he said.

The study will also assess whether healthcare institutions have adequate workplace support systems for professionals dealing with burnout, stress and other mental health challenges.

Dr Banyubala said the findings will guide the development of policies to support healthcare workers while ensuring that patient safety and professional standards are maintained.

The MDC is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing the training, registration and practice of medical and dental professionals in Ghana.